1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to reels for spooling linear material and, in particular, to a reel including an improved reciprocating mechanism for distributing linear material across a rotating reel drum.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reels for spooling linear material, such as a hose or wire, onto a rotating drum have incorporated reciprocating motion of a guide through which the linear material passes, to advantageously cause the linear material to be wrapped substantially uniformly around most of the surface area of the drum.
Several methods have been utilized in the past for achieving such reciprocating motion. One common approach is to use a rotating reversing screw which causes a guide to translate back and forth in front of a rotating drum. For example, such an approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,003 to Russ. However, such reversing screws tend to wear out quickly, degrading reel performance and necessitating frequent replacement.
Another approach for producing reciprocating motion of the guide is to use a motor to control a rotating screw upon which the guide translates. In this class of reels, the motor reverses the direction of rotation of the screw whenever the guide reaches an end of the screw. Unfortunately, the repeated reversing of the motor increases the spooling time and causes the motor to wear down sooner. Other reels have incorporated significantly more complicated gear mechanisms for achieving the reciprocating motion.
Many reel constructions include exposed moving parts, such as the reel drum, guide, and motor. Over time, such moving parts can become damaged due to exposure. For example, an outdoor reel is exposed to sunlight and rain. Such exposure can cause the moving parts of the reel to wear more rapidly, resulting in reduced performance quality.
Thus, there is a need for an improved reel having a simple reciprocating mechanism which produces reciprocating motion of a guide.
Accordingly, it is a principle object and advantage of the present invention to overcome some or all of these limitations and to provide an improved reel incorporating reciprocating motion of a guide.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a reciprocating mechanism, comprising a plate and a translating member. The plate is adapted to rotate about an axis, and has a spiral groove spiraling about the axis. The translating member has first and second groove engagement portions which are configured to selectively engage the groove of the plate. The translating member is configured so that, during rotation of the plate about the axis, the groove engagement portions alternately engage the groove on opposite sides of the axis. This causes the translating member to translate linearly as the plate rotates in one rotary direction about the axis.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a reel comprising a drum and a shell substantially surrounding the drum. The drum is configured to rotate about a drum axis and to receive a spool of linear material being wrapped around a spool surface of the drum as the drum rotates. A reciprocating mechanism is configured to reciprocatingly rotate at least a portion of the shell. The portion includes an aperture which reciprocates through an arc across the spool surface as the shell portion reciprocatingly rotates about the shell axis.
In the illustrated embodiments, the aperture guides linear material onto the spool surface as the shell reciprocatingly rotates about the shell axis and as the drum rotates about the drum axis. The linear material is thus splayed across the drum as the drum winds the linear material, maximizing packing and avoiding tangles. Similar reciprocation helps to more smoothly extract linear material during unwinding. The reciprocating mechanism of the illustrated embodiments is a spiral groove and translating member, as described with respect to the first aspect of the invention.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of spooling linear material. The method includes providing a drum and a shell around the drum, where a portion of the shell has an aperture through it. The drum rotates about a first axis. The shell portion with the aperture rotates about a second axis as the drum rotates about the first axis. As the drum rotates, linear material is drawn through the aperture and wound about the drum and is distributed across the spool surface by the reciprocating rotation of the shell portion.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these aspects are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the appended claims and from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.